Book Review: As She Ascends

With this book comes a surprise: my favorite part wasn’t the main storyline. It was the bits with Aaru’s past, a feature I didn’t even know this book would have.

The Summary

In the present, Mira and her friends are on the run, while also trying to find a safe spot for the poached dragons.

In the past, we see Aaru’s life building up to the moment he is sent to the pit.

The Analysis

Hands down my favorite character of the series is Aaru. His past is compelling, and his voice, with the need for silence, brings a unique depth to his character. Of all the people to get growth in this book (who aren’t Mira), Aaru certainly gets the most. And though he is featured prominently in the first text, I didn’t necessarily see the love interest turn coming. I wasn’t sure in the first book, but in retrospect I should have seen it coming all along.

Mira, of course, is a new kind of YA heroine. If she could pass her “Chosen One” status on to someone else, she would. But it’s all on her. And she’d sooner die than let her position go to waste.

The conspiracy Mira sets to uncover is wildly massive. First it looks like this, than it is something else. Even by the book’s end, I’m not sure what all is happening. In some regards that makes the book frustrating, but in the end I think it makes the mystery so much more impactful.

Then, of course, there’s the dragons! It must be impossible to read this book and not love, at a minimum, Lala and Crystal. I, however, loved Kelsine and the others as well. The dragons have as much personality as the humans.

Though confusing at parts, this book was a fun ride, and especially worthy due to the dragon-prominence.